Caret is used twice, with different meaning. As prefix operator "^" means 
"exclude lineage of commit" (while commit without "^" in front means:
"include lineage of commit and commit itself"). BTW. why we don't use '!'
for that?

As postfix operator "^" means "dereference", i.e. parent in the case 
of commit; allows choosing a parent (commit^n) and listing all parents 
(commit^@). Using it as binary infix operator that would be I think 
too much. 

-- 
Jakub Narebski
Warsaw, Poland
ShadeHawk on #git


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Using '!' is really nasty with most shells. Avoid, avoid, avoid.

It would be more sensible to use ~ (mathematical negation), but that also 
has magic meaning for shell at the beginning of a word..

			Linus
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